No one mourns the wicked
by Eve Piton
Summary: The final battle is approaching and memories from the first war start to emerge again. In their quest for the Horcruxes Harry and his mates will find that there is just a thin line between good and bad.
1. A place in my heart

Rufus Ignitus looked up from his table. It was 3 a.m. and a dark moonless night wrapped around Azkaban. Inside their cells all the prisoners were fast asleep. All except one. Lucius Malfoy was standing by the window, looking at the sky.  
When wizards had first replaced dementors to guard the prison, Rufus had been terrified. He had expected the Dark Lord to appear any moment, freeing his followers and leaving him and his coworkers dead. And , judging from the amount of disorders that had raised during the first weeks, the Deatheaters had thought the same way. Time had prooven them wrong. More than a year had passed and there was still no sign of the Dark Lord. This seemed to have affected the inmates more than the loss of their freedom. At first they had refused to accept it. They had kept waiting for months and months, refusing to sleep. Then, after realization had finally sunken into them, they had slowly fallen into a catatonic state. They had gradually become very quiet and no matter how much the guards feeded them, they had become more and more thin and weak every day.And one by one they had started dying in their sleep. Lucius Malfoy appearently had been the only one to escape that fate. But during the last weeks he had appeared more and more tired and , even if he kept asking for food, he had started loosing weight. Rufus kind of pitied him. He had hated Lucius Malfoy at first but now he felt sorry for him. Things had changed the first time Lucius had asked for extra food. "This is not a restaurant Malfoy" Rufus had answered. Malfoy had sighed " It's not for me, it's for my boy". Rufus had thought Lucius had finally lost his mind but then he had realized that Lucius was too aware of what was going on. He knew perfectly well that his time had come. He was only trying to hold on until he could see his son once more.From that day they had become friends. He spent all his spare time outside Lucius's cell, helping him with his fight for life. Not that there was much he could do anyway.  
Rufus sighed and slowly rose from his chair.He stopped outside Lucius's cell.  
"Lucius" he whispered Lucius turned around "Yeah"  
"It's really late.Why don't you try and sleep for a while"  
Lucius shook his head: "There was a place"  
"A...a place"  
"Yes, a small village. After the Dark Lord's defeat, we all left our homes and went living there. It was a beautiful village. Everything was peaceful there and the people were so...human. They were non-magical people but they seemed to know everything about magical world. We told them our stories. We did not lie to them. And they let us stay. They helped us go through what we had done. They made us feel like we could still be the good ones. While I lived there, I began to wonder why I had followed the Dark Lord in the first place. I could have stayed there forever"  
"And why did you leave"  
"The Aurors found us. And everything was over. They took us away"  
"You were cleared. Why didn't you go back after that"  
"Because I had someone to revenge. They took something from me. I could not just forget about it"  
"Lucius what do you mean"  
Lucius shook his head: "I can't talk about this. Just remember this Rufus :never try to prevent wickedness. It'll just make you a killer"  
Rufus nodded. He couldn't understand what Lucius was talking about but he could see the man was pained and he didn't want to hurt him anymore by asking questions.  
"I wish you could go back to your village" He simply said "I wish the same" Lucius whispered. And for the first thime since he was there, Rufus saw Lucius's face tear-stained.  
What happened after that, Rufus was never able to tell. A golden light invaded the cell and Rufus suddenly felt like everything wrong that had happened to him had been cancelled. He felt happy and peaceful. And then all of a sudden the light disappeared and he was standing in Azkaban again. He looked at the cell in front of him. It was empty. 


	2. no prayer for the dying

Lucius slowly opened his eyes. He felt puzzled. The drakness and the cold of his cell had disappered. He was lying on something soft and was sorrounded by light and colours.  
"Mr Malfoy"  
A soft voice was speaking beside him. Lucius slowly turned his head. A shapless puddle of colours appeared in front of his eyes. He tried to focus and the puddle became a plump smiling face.  
"W..where am I?" He whispered. Even if he was now warm and comfortable he still felt very tired and weak.  
"Shh. Don't speak. You need to rest.The Green Lady will be here any moment she will answer your question.  
"The Green L?" He began to ask. But he never finished his question. With a crackling sound the door opened and another woman appeared beside his bed. The Green Lady, despite his name, was dressed in light-blue robes. She had a strict time-worn face and silver hair. Even if time had passed Lucis had no problem recognizing her: "Lyla" he exclaimed weakly. The old woman smiled and her smile was sweet and sad at the same time.  
"It's nice to see you Lucius"  
"Where...I mean..am I...is this...is this place what I really think it is"  
The Green Lady nodded: "Welcome to Woodwill"  
Lucius closed his eyes. For a brief moment happiness overtook him. He struggled and regain a little control.  
"How come you came to me after so many years"  
The Lady smiled: "It was you who came to us"  
Lucius looked puzzled.  
The old woman smiled again : "Do you remember what I told you and Narcissa the day you left"  
"That our names would have stayed in the soul of the forest"  
"Exactly Lucius. The night of the Great Light you and your family became part of this place. No matter if you forgot about it during these years, the Forest has always kept an eye on you and tonight It heard you calling.Evelyn found you this morning while walking in the woods"  
"Evelyn?Is she still here?"  
Lyla nodded and again her smile was sweet and sad.  
"And what about Nora?"  
Lyla shook his head: "Not now Lucius. You need to rest a little bit more. Go back to sleep and when you wake up, we'll talk again"  
Lucius tryed to argue back but as soon as the last words were spoken he fell into a deep peaceful sleep.  
Lyla stood up and , before leaving, paused for a while caressing Lucius's hair.  
"How is he?" the plump woman beside her asked. Lyla sighed "He's dying"


	3. the dream

At number 12 Grimmaud Place Harry Potter was tossing and turning in his sleep. He was having the same dream for the tenth time in a month. In the dream he saw a woman, sitting beside a bed a bowl of water and a wet cloth in her hands. He couldn't see her face but deep inside he knew they had already met. Beside the leaning woman there was another one, elder and , judging by her appearence, poorer than the first one "My lady" she kept mumbling "It can't go on like this"  
The first woman sighed: "I know Rowena, but what can we do"  
"Call a Healer. Someone from St. Mungo" the old lady suggested "Don't be silly. You perfectly know we cannot trust people from St Mungo. And they couldn't do much to help him anyway. He'll just have to get through it"  
"But can't you help him? I remember that when the same thing happened to you your grandma came and taught you how to master it"  
The first Lady seemed to pause for a moment. When she spoke again, there was a hint of fear in her voice"I'm not sure I can do it. I haven't been practising for almost fifteen years"  
"I don't think it's a matter of practice my Lady. I'd rather think it's a matter of will"  
The unknown woman seemed to sunk even lower in chair she was sitting:"It's all my fault Rowena. If I hadn't"  
"The Gift is not a fault..." The old woman cut her short "It's a privilege!!Difficult to handle I agree but a privilege!!You received this power from your ancestors and you passed it to your offspring"  
"I Know, Rowena. I just didn't expect it to be him. I thought"  
"I know what you thought my Lady, but fate doesn't alwys bend to our will"  
The first woman sighed. Then,after a moment of silence, she stood up.  
"Rowena" she said in a determined tone which took Harry by surprise "Come! help me pack our things"  
"My Lady"  
"If I am to help him through this, I wanna take him where no one can harm him"  
The dream disappeared and Harry suddenly woke up. He didn't know why but he felt anxious. 


	4. the red lady's house

The journey was a peaceful one. Sitting in a muggle train,Narcissa held her seventeen-year-old sleeping son. If her husband had been there, he probably would have scolded her: "He's not a child Cissy"  
If her sister had been there, she probably would have killed her for the shame she was bringing on their family.Narcissa however did not care. She had listened to Bella once and what had happened had almost destroyed Draco. Now she felt the war approaching and she didn't want her son to be part of it, especially if he was to be just the Dark Lord's toy to take revenge on Lucius's mistakes.  
The train stopped and Narcissa lightly shook Draco by the shoulder.  
He slowly opened his eyes. He looked tired but a little less in pain than the night before.  
"Mum?" he asked, slightly puzzled "Where are we"  
Narcissa smiled : "You'll soon find out. But You'll have to wait until we get to the village I told you about. I wanna be sure that we are safe before I tell you anything more"  
Draco nodded: "You haven't told Him, have you?About us coming to this place I mean" Narcissa shook her head: "Did you want me to"  
The boy lowered his gaze: "I don't know. What about father"  
Narcissa understood that her son was worried about the Dark Lord punishing Lucius for their flee.The same thought had occured to her many times but somehow she felt sure that if there was something they could do to help her husband, the answer layed in the place they were going.  
"He'll be fine" she reassured him "He's a strong man"  
They stepped out of the train,in a sunny but windy afternoon. Somehow the station seemed to be deserted. Narcissa looked around unsure what to do. Then, after a moment she noticed it. A white fox was waiting not far from them. Narcissa took Draco by the hand and dragged him toward the fox. As they stopped in front of it,to Draco's complete shock, the animal spoke : "Welcome home my Lady"  
Narcissa smiled: "I'm glad to see you Jerico.Can you take us there"  
"Sure my Lady"  
He blinked and in a moment the station was gone. They were now standing in front of a house at the end of a small village road, sorrounded by many other houses. They were all quite nice but some of them were , Draco thought, peculiar. There was a ball-shaped house a few feet away from where they were standing and at the end of the road a house that looked like a miniaturized Hogwarts. Compared to them the house they were standing outside looked quite normal. It was big and white but her walls were covered in golden ivy and small red flowers. A large well-kept garden sorrounded the house. It was full of cherry trees. What looked like a baby unicorn (but red and not white) was sleeping in a corner.  
"It's beautiful" Draco said almost unconsciously.  
Narcissa smiled: "I'm glad you like it. It's my house"  
Draco turned to look at her, shock in his eyes.  
Jerico suppressed what sounded like a laughter: "I see that many stories still have to be told my Lady. I'll leave you alone. I'll call you when dinner is ready. You'll be dining at the Green Lady's house"  
"Lyla!" Narcissa exclaimed "And the White Lady will be there too"  
"Nora"  
All of a sudden Jerico's exprssion seemed to darken: "It's Eve now. Nora died a few weeks ago"  
"I see" Narcissa replied. She too had become a little sadder "Well Eve is a great witch"  
" O yes" jerico confirmed "You only wished she wuold have had a little more time to be a loud, extravagant, unresponsible teen ager" and with that he left Narcissa turned to Draco : "Well" she said, simling faintly "Welcome to the Red Lady's house" 


	5. nasty meeting and nasty behaviours

"Gone?What do you mean gone"  
The Order of the Phoenix was sitting around the table in the kitchen at Sirius's house. Standing in front of the window Madeye Moody was lecturing them with the detailed story of Mr Malfoy's sudden disappearance.  
"How many meanings there are for that word?Poor Rufus opened his eyes and found himself staring at an empty cell.A dark wizard's job if you ask my opinion"  
There was a loud snort from the corner. Everybody turned to look at the person it came from.  
Mrs Weasley was sitting in her chair, a sceptical look on her face:"Come on Alastor: a dark wizard's job?Since when has become Death Eaters' habit to kidnapp people in a golden warm light? I thought their stilye was : "break in,kill everybody and leave a big skull behind you"  
"And you are right!!" said a cold flat voice.  
Everybody jumped. Severus Snape had appeared in the doorway. Harry , who had been sitting near Moody shifted nervously in his chair. Snape had come back after Dumbledore's funeral claiming to have acted on Dumbledore's order. While the other were discussin whether to believe him or not, McGonagall had appeared , bringing Dumbledore's will and a letter in which the former Headmaster confirmed Snape's version of the story. And so they had been forced to accept Snape back in the Order. Harry however still regarded him as a murderer. He absolutely refused to speak to him unless it was necessary and whenever there was a meeting he was very careful to sit away from him. He was not the only one. Ron acted the same way. And Moody siezed each opportunity to question Snape's words or his credibility. Mrs Weasly also seemed to dislike Snape a great deal but , for a reason known only to herself, she seemed to dislike Moody even more.  
"You are late" Moody pointed out while Snape summoned a chair out of nowhere and sat down.  
"I was at a Dark Lord's meeting. Somehow it seemed not careful to stand up in the middle of his speech and say : "Goodbye everybody, I'd love to stay but the Order of the Phoenix, for which I work as a spy, is waiting for me at number 12 Grimmaud Place"  
Hermione , who was sitting near Harry, suppressed a soft laugh. Ron threw a deadly glance at her but she took no notice of it.  
"Now , if I'm allowed to talk in spite of my delay, I came here to tell you that Lucius's family has vanished as well"  
"We already knew that" retorted Moody " I was about"  
"Of course, of course." Snape interrupted him " But what you don't know is that, despite the magical tracks the Dark Lord had put on their marks, he's not been able to detect them abywhere." "Well I don't see what's so unusual about that. They'll have magically shielded themselves not to be detected"  
Snape shook his head "It was a very special track,very difficult to cover"  
"How interesting Severus!And tell us, does anybody else have this track on his mark"  
Severus threw a murdering stare at Moody : "The Dark Lord trusts me"  
"Are you sure"  
"Enough" Severus stood up " I did not came here so that you could isult me" And he stormed how from the door.  
With a reproachful look, Minerva McGonagall ran after him.  
"Well" Mrs Weasley said in a harsh sarcastical tone " I believe our meeting it's over. Good job Alastor" 


	6. a long,complicated,absurd theory

"Severus please, slow down"  
Severus Snape had just apparated outside Howarts gates and was now striding across the school grounds, a murderous expression on his face. Minerva McGonagall was following, panting heavily at the effort to keep pace with him. Hearing her call his name, Severus abrubtly turned around "What do you want, Minerva?" he spat out "I've had enough Gryffindor talking for tonight"  
Minerva looked at him. Snape saw that she had been hurt by his words but he did not care. It was her who had chosen to follow him knowing in which state he was. "I was just worried" she sad in a low resigned voice, which somehow seemed to irritate Snape even more "Moody really crossed the line tonight. I don't want you to believe what he said to be representative of the Order's opinion on you"  
"Oh no!Not at all!" He replied in a sarcastical tone "It only represented Moody's, Tonks's, Potter's, Granger's and the Weasleys' opinion. Practically the entire order"  
"I don't think Miss Granger believes"  
"I don't give a damn about what Hermione Granger thinks!" Severus snapped at her "What I know is that this job as a spy is getting harder and harder. And be warned Minerva , should Moody's behaviour remain the way it is presently, I might as well reconsider my position within the Order"  
Minerva bit her lip. She wanted to counterbait but Snape was too angry. Had she protested in any way, she would probably have wasted all her chances to get any information out of him. Instead she chose another tactic. She changed subject.  
"So what about those thracks"  
"Those what?" Minerva's question had caught Severus unguarded.  
"The tracks on the Malfoys' marks you where talking about"  
"Oh the tracks. Well the Dark Lord had placed them on the Malfoys weeks ago. He just wanted to be sure they'd be at hand when their time would have come"  
"Their time"  
Severus sighed:"Apparently the Dark Lord is in the mood for spring-cleaning.He's started murdering his old followers"  
Minerva ghasped: "Oh my...Severus"  
"Don't worry Minerva. I have too much access to Hogwarts to be considered dispensable. At least for the time being.Unfotunately the same thing did not seem to apply to the poor devils who had been sent to Azkaban and their families. They are almost all dead by now." "But Severus how comes? I haven't heard anything about thi mass murder you are talking about"  
Severus paused for a moment. When he spoke again his voice was trembling slightly: "He did not use Avada Kedavra . He thought it would have been a little too outspoken. He has developed something else. It's like a disease. I don't know how it works exactly. From what I've heard, people who have been hit by this curse become weaker and weaker until the day their heart simply is not able to beat anymore"  
"Severus this is terrible. What if he infected the entire wizard world with this curse?we would bew ruined"  
Severus shook his head: "From what I've been able to understand you have to be intimally connected with the Dark Lord for him to be able to perform the spell"  
Minerva sighed: "Well that is quite a relief. But Severus, please, do take care. Should anything happened to you"  
"Don't worry" Severus interrupted her,not willing to hear what he was sure would have been a terribly embarassing end of sentence " I always take care"  
Minerva smiled briefly : "So where do you think Mr Malfoy and his family are?Do you have any theories"  
"One theory, yes. But it's long, complicated and probably wrong"  
He had intended to put her off by saying so. Minerva however burst into laughter "Shall we go to your quarters then"  
Severus sighed, apparently Gryffindor talking wasn't over for that night. 


	7. a real seer, a real mother

The Green Lady's house was not as big and decorated as his mother's. Draco however couldn't help liking it a great deal. It was warm and comfortable and somehow he felt safe there. The Green Lady, or Lyla as she preferred to be called, was an energetic old woman. The moment they had arrived she had given Narcissa such a strong hug that Draco had been worried for her mother's ribs. Since the White Lady had still to arrive, Lyla had led them to a small round living room. And there they were , drinking a brown and slightly alchoolic liquid which tasted delicious.  
"So" Lyla said, turning to Draco "I bet you are feeling a little confused"  
Draco looked at his mother. He was feeling indeed confused, and more than just 'a little'. He was however not sure he had the right to tell the old woman. His father always said :"A true malfoy is never tired,never scared, never pained and never confused". Narcissa however smiled warmly and gave him an encouraging nod.  
"I...I'm just unsure why I'm here. That's all" he said Lyla nodded: "I see. Well your mother, in the letter she sent informing me of your arrival, told me you have not been feeling well lately"  
Draco felt his cheeks burn with humiliation. It was bad enough without his mother telling the entire world.  
"Mr Malfoy" Lyla went on "can you tell me what exactly his the matter"  
"Well" he started, his eyes fixed on the ground "there are times during the day when I suddenly find myself unable to move and scared. I feel like something terrible is happening. And the at night I cannot sleep well"  
"Do you have nightmares?" Lyla asked. Her tone was quite 'professional'. She showed no sign of anxiety or pity and that made Draco feel much better "No" he said "It's just the same thing as in the morning. I feel like something is going on but I can't tell what it is"  
Lyla looked at him, examining him carefully with her dark eyes. After a minute or so she stood up and she extracted a wand from her pocket. Without any notice she pointed the wand at Draco a muttered something Draco could not understand. Nothing happened. The old woman sat down again "Well Narcissa" she said in the end "I do believe you are right.Surprising indeed"  
Draco turned to stare at his mother. He was absolutely shocked."What?" he hissed "You knew what was wrong with me"  
"Draco list"  
But anger had suddenly taken hold of Draco : "For over a month I've been this way. I thought you were as clueless as I was. and now turns out you knew right from the beginning"  
"Draco" Lyla tried to interceed.  
Narcissa however was quicker : "Draco calm down!First of all I did not know right from the beginning what was 'wrong' with you. It took me two entire weeks to realize that you panick attacks were related to certain moments of the day.Secondly I wanted to be sure before I told you anything"  
"Well you are sure now aren't you? Care to enligh"  
"You are a Seer"  
For a moment silence seemed to have fallen then all of a sudden Draco bursted into laughter "Come on mother you can't be serious!In case you don't remember I've failed my Divination OWL"  
"Sybill Trelawney's lessons have nothing to do with proper Divination" Narcissa cut him short. "And after all" she said softening her tone "You were too young at the time you sat the examination"  
Draco did not know what to say. He felt even more confused now. Smiling tenderly Narcissa sighed: " Do you know anything about real seers"  
Draco shook is head "Real seers are witches or in a few rare cases wizards who are born with the gift of the Sight. Once Seers were very common but now there are only two or three families who possess the Gift. Unlike other wizards or witches they do not have to study to become skilled at Divination, their skills simply develop on their own. It usually happens when the witch or the wizard in question is in her twenties or so. However a shock or a prolonged period of distress can cause a person to develop the Gift early.The first sign of the Gift are not very easy to spot and they are often mistaken for a bug or some kind of mental malady. They include high fever, hearing voices, copious sweating and"  
"Panick attacks" Draco concluded Narcissa smiled weakly : "Yes. After a certain amount of time however the person starts to become more aware of what's happening to her, he or she starts experiencing a wider range of feelings and various degrees of the same emotion.He or she starts to see images connected with the feelings the person is experiencing. In the end the person becomes able to do very precise predictions. Unlike other witches or wizards with a touch for Divination these predictions are volountary and the person who makes them will be able to remember them"  
Draco was now staring at her mother with his mouth open. Was he really giong to become a Seer?Was he really going to discovers how to reveal the future and maybe how to mater it?Then all of a sudden a question came to his mind.  
"Why do we have to stay here then"  
"Because with a proper training you'll be able to speed up in your process of becoming a Seer. you'll be feeling better in no time really"  
"But can't I be trained at home"  
"Draco do you realize what we are talking about, do you?Real Seer are greatly wanted. With the final battle approaching, I don't know what could happen should L...should anybody find out"  
Narcissa had been quick in correcting her mistake but not quick enough for Draco not to get the real meaning of her words. With a shiver he thought back about the Dark Lord and the night on the Astronomy Tower. The moment he had found himself face to face with Albus Dumbledore he had realized that he had never been meant to succeed in his task, he had realize he was nothing but a puppet in Voldemort's hand. After Snape had brought him back to the Malfoy Manor he had heard the Potion Master and his mother discuss.  
"He's safe for now" Snape had told her "But it is only a matter of time before the Dark Lord finds another task for him"  
His mother had bursted into tears : "What can I do Severus?Maybe should I"  
"No" Severus had shouted "That would only turn you into what Bella has become. No, Narcissa, listen to me. As long as the war goes on you can do nothing to protect him. Just pray it will be over soon." Draco unconsciously smirked. His mother had seemed to find a way to keep them safe in the end.As the thought sank into him a wave of gratitude seemed to cross him "I'll do what I have to do" he said in a low voice.  
Narcissa smiled and Lyla opened the mouth to speak when the bell rang.  
"Eve must be here" she said, jumping to her feet 


	8. the dinner

Eve,the white lady, was the most unladylike person Draco had ever met in his life. She was really young, maybe one or two years older than he was. Unlike Lyla or his mother, she did not wear robes but what looked terribly like a muggle jogging suit. She had fastened her hair in tight bun, her wand , Draco noticed in horror, sticking out of it like some kind of hairpin.  
She did not smile and , when she spoke, her voice showed no sign of warmness "I apologize for my delay and my appearance but the training session lasted longer than I expected it"  
Lyla beamed at her:"No need to worry dear. We had a nice chat in the meanwhile. Actually we were talking about mr Malfoy training sessions"  
Eve turned to look at him: " I see" she said , a hint of curiosity in her voice "So how are you feeling"  
"I'm fine" he answered in what he was hoping sounded like a casual voice. He was feeling truly embarassed now. "I guess you'll be attending school then"  
Draco's eyes widened in bewilderment: "School?" he asked. How long were they going to stay in that village?  
"Eve" Lyla scolded her "Now don't start pestering him. I'm sure there will be plenty of time to arrange his hourplan after dinner"  
Eve turned to look at the Green Lady and , to Draco's surprise, gave her a short smile: "You are right,Lyla" she agreed in the same emotionless voice.  
Lyla smiled: "Thanks darling. Now why don't we continue this in the dining room"  
The Green Lady's dining room was large and warm.In the middle of the room there was a old wooden table, which, for the occasion, had been decorated with a green silk table cloth and a big silver chandelier.The walls of the room were covered in pictures whose dark wooden frames stood out against the light green tapestry.Draco tried to focused to the ones which were nearest to him. Many of them portraied Lyla with other people from the village. A short plump witch with equally silver hair. A tall young wizard with long black hair. A young girl wgo looked incredibly like Eve and her mother. A tall pale wizard with long white-blonde hair and his wife. Draco unconscously smiled as he watched his parents waving at him from the picture. He drew himself closer to the photo and looked at the crying baby his mother held in her arms. At her feet a young girl sat with her arms folded and her leg crossed, she seemed to be in a really bad mood. Draco felt a pang of sadness and quickly looked away from the picture.  
Apologizing to the three ladies for his distraction he sat down at the table and started eating the soup that had suddenly appeared in his plate. For a certain amoun of time nobody spoke. Then , surprisingly, Narcissa opened her mouth.  
"I owe you an apology, you know" she said "I am perfectly aware that coming back I have deprived you of a important source of information"  
"You did what it was best to do" Eve cut her off "Eve is right Narcissa" Lyla agreed "A dead spy wouldn't have been much useful to us"  
Draco turned to look at her mother: "Spy?" he asked.  
Narcissa ignored him : "Yes but how are we going to find out information about the final battle now"  
Lyla paused to think: "What about Severus Snape?Couldn't we ask him"  
"Lyla don't be absurd" Eve interrupted her "Severus Snape works for Dumbledore's friends, for the ministry. He would not give information to us"  
Lyla sighed.  
"Narcissa" Eve went on "let alone what you know or have heard,where do you think the final battle is likely to take place"  
Narcissa closed her eyes as trying to focus on something. Draco saw her shudder as she drops of sweat formed on her foread. After a couple of seconds she opened her eyes.  
"Hogwarts" she said in a tired voice "But I can't be sure"  
Eve nodded: "Then it's Hogwarts we should keep under control"  
"But how?" Lyla began Eve smiled a surprisingly vicious smile:"I shall go and visit Scrimgeour tomorrow. I think I'll bring my family album with me"  
Narcissa and Lyla looked at each other then all of a sudden bursted into laughter.  
"I'll take it as a 'yes'" Eve commented in a casual tone. 


	9. saint chaple

Minerva McGonagall sat in silence. She had just finished listening to Severus Snape's theory and was at loss for words. She did not know what to think. Of course the idea of a magical village separated from the rest of the wizarding world seemed absurd. It was also unbelievable that a man like Lucius Malfoy and his wife, who had devoted their entire life to serving the dark lord, could , in the end, turn their backs on him. However, incredible as it might sound, Severus's theory seemed the only possible explanation of why the malfoy's marks had suddenly become undetectable even for a powerful wizard like Voldemort.

"Severus" she sighed "I do believe you are right, you know?"

Snape looked at her: "Do you?Really?"

She nodded: "It's absurd and really complex but if you consider it for just a moment, it's the only explanation that fits with everyting that has happened in these days. There's just a thing I don't understand yet…"

"And that would be?"

"This village. Saint Chapelle you said."

"Saint Chaple" Snape corrected her

"Where did you hear about it?"

Snape blushed slightly: "In the Quibbler. Quite a few years ago"

Minerva McGonagall burst into laughters. He threw her a reproachful look but she took no notice of it.

"I'm sorry" she apologized between giggles "It's only that I really can't see you reading the Quibbler. It's just totally out of charachter for you."

"Funny, you know" Severus retorted " I always thought that giggling like an overexcited fourteen-year-old idiotic girl who has just kissed for the first time was a little out of charachter for a sensible person like the Head of Godric Gryffindor's House."

He had tried to sound as unpleasant as possible, McGonagall however was beaming like a , well, an overexcited fourteen-year-old idiotic girl who had indeed just shared her first kiss. "I don't know Severus" she said , smiling at him "I'm not sure Gryffindors are that allergic to laughters. Look at Albus."

As the thought of the f dead headmaster entered her mind, she fell silent. Tears sprang to her eyes and they started rolling down her cheecks. She quickly regained control and , exctracting a small napkin from her robes, she hastily wiped her face.

"Sorry" she whispered. "I did not mean to bring unpleasant memories back".

Snape simply stared at her. He did not look angry or annoyed. He simply had nothing to say on the matter.

"So" she went on "What do you think we should do now?Tell the others?"

Snape shook his head: "They would never believe us. Unless of course we are able to give them some proof to support our theory"

Minerva silently looked at the fireplace for another couple of minutes. In the end she stood up

"Well I think we're done for tonight. I'm going to bed now. Tomorrow maybe we can go to the library and start guessing about the location of this village.There are some ancient map there which could be really useful.Many editions of the Quibbler. Maybe we can trace back that article you mentioned before ."

Snape arched an eyebrow: "Minerva?do you realize what you are saying?Do you really want to join forces with me?"

"I don't see why I shouldn't,Severus. I do hate to admit this, but you are one of the few people inside the Order who are really…lucid…at the moment. Good night."

And with that she turned on her heels and she exit his quarters.


	10. summer school, new subjects

After the dinner was over, Eve and Draco got out into the streets of the village. As they walked side by side Draco couldn't help to wonder what was going to happen now. What was he supposed to do? What would the training to become a Seer be like?

"I've heard it's quite a hell" Eve said all of a sudden

"What?" Draco asked, slightly taken aback

"The sensations you feel when you are developing the Sight… I've heard they are really hard to cope with"

Draco looked at her. She was not an impressive girl. But the way she had talked to her mother , the way her mother and Lyla had seemed to listen to her… Draco decided that for the moment it would have been better not to show any weakness in front of her….

"They are not pleasant but they are not too bad" he shrugged "I wouldn't have minded staying at home really… but mum decided it was best to come here. "

Eve smiled. Draco couldn't be sure whether she had bought it or not. However she said nothing to contradict him.

"Well" she said in the end "if you are not feeling too ill I guess you won't need to take any time off…. You can start school straightaway tomorrow"

Draco cursed silently. School? He didn't like school when he was at the top of his energy, let alone now! But the…

"Isn't it a little bit early for school?" He asked " I mean…. There are still a couple of weeks left until September"

Eve nodded: "That's when the academic year begins… during summer months we have summer school here in Woodwill"

'Wonderful' Draco thought 'Stuck God only knows where and with summer school too… '

" So Woodwill….is this the name of this place?" Draco asked trying to change topic

Eve nodded: "Yes! So what subjects will you be taking?"

Draco sighed. Apparently there was no way he was going to get out of this.

" I don't know" he muttered " I guess the usual… Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, History of Magic "

"And what about the extra classes?"

"What do you mean?"

Eve took out a piece of parchment from her pocket. She lighted her wand and passed it to Draco in order for him to read it.

_**EXPERIM**__**ENTAL ACADEMY OF WOODWILL**_

**Magic ****al Folks Curriculum – 11****th**** year**

_**Basic subjects:**_

_Charms_

_Transfiguration_

_Potions_

_Dark Arts_

_**Complementary subjects**__** – Magical subjects (Pick 3 to 5):**_

_Magical __Herbology , Ancient Runes, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, Legilimency and Occlumency, Magical Healing, History of Magic and Magical Law_

_**Complementary subjects – Non Magical subjects**__**(Pick 2 to 4):**_

_Literature, Maths, History and Law, Economics, Magical – Non Magical Folks relationships, Medicine, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Botanic , Astronomy__, Engineering , Art, Politics, Philosophy_

_**Specializing Subject:**_

…_**..**_

Draco looked at the paper. He was not really sure what to think. Of course these people seemed to be spending a great deal of their time studying. But why the hell did he have to take Muggle subjects as well?

"Is anything wrong?" Eve asked

Draco shook his head: " I was just a little unsure about Muggle subjects… "

"Do you like numbers?" Eve asked

"Numbers? No not really…"

"Ok so definitely do not pick Maths, Physics or Engineering…."

"Yeah but why the hell do I have to study Muggle stuff?"

"Everybody here studies both magical and non-magical subjects" explained Eve "it helps the two communities understanding each other better"

"The two communities?" Draco was a little unsure about what the girl meant

"The magical and the non magical"

"Are there Muggles living in Woodwill? And they know about us?" Draco was in total shock

"You seem surprised" commented Eve "Don't you like Muggles?"

Draco paused a moment to think. Again it was probably better not to uncover all his cards yet.

"The Dark Lord thinks they are inferior people. He says they should be at our service"

"And what do you think?" Apparently Eve was not letting him get away so easily

Draco bit his lip. "I've been raised to think the same" he said

It was such an honest answer that he was the first to be surprised by it. Eve observed him silently for a couple of minutes. She did not seem angry at him. She was simply studying him closely.

"You know what?" she said in the end " I think you might do with some Politics!"

By the end of the night they had managed to settle Draco's school plan. Beside the compulsory subjects he had opted for Legilimency and Occlumency , Magical Healing and Care of Magical creatures and , among the Muggle subjects , he had chosen Politics and Literature. Eve had tried to convince him to take also Magical – Non Magical Relationships but there was no way he was going to study more Muggle subjects than necessary. As for the specializing subject Draco had no doubt it would be Dark Arts but Eve had advised him to wait before deciding on it.

"You never know" she had explained to him. "And one you choose your specializing subject… well it really determines your path for the future"


	11. a memorable excuse

It was a sunny day. The sun beams filtered through the windows and kept flooding the ancient library. Minerva and Severus had spent the whole morning searching through maps and history books but if such a village had ever existed there was no evidence left anywhere.

"I'm done" Minerva finally gave up pushing aside an old roll of parchment

Beside her Severus sighed : "There's nothing here." He admitted " I must have been wrong"

Minerva looked at him. He did not sound very convinced. But he was a man and Minerva had learned over time that men are usually so attached to their theories that they are unwilling to let them go unless it proves absolutely necessary.

"You know what?" she suggested temptingly "We could try and find a copy of the article you mentioned. I'm sure Mr. Lovegood would be delighted to share his information with us. We could even invite him here at Hogwarts for tea"

"For god's sake , Minerva! I'd rather invite Alastor Moody than that old fool! Ok maybe not … but I think a printed copy of the article would be more than sufficient for our purpose"

Minerva suppressed a laughter "You know , Severus ? I think you should do something about your misanthropy. You are constantly battling the world !!!"

Severus threw her a cold glance " Funny , Minerva … The more I live , the more I notice that is the world which is constantly battling anybody that does not bend to its expectations."

Minerva bit her lip. During the last years she had tried several times to soften Severus's vision of the world and its ways but she had never been successful. There was so much rage inside Severus. Ever since his high school days he had been angry at life and Minerva was not sure how longer he would be able to go on like that without seriously harming himself.

"What about lunch?" she suggested in the end , dropping the previous subject "We have been working for hours and I'm literally starving"

Severus scanned her with a piercing gaze "You really seem to be avoiding conflicts with me these days , you know?" he stated "Once you would have put up a fight until I would admit your theories about me were right"

Minerva blushed but tried to sound as nonchalant as possible " You are one of my closest friends … I simply need to have you on my side right now"

Severus nodded. Despite being misanthropic he knew when it was the time to be kind and , returning the favor , he dropped the previous subject.

"What about going to London?" he suggested "I could do with getting away from this school for a little while"

"Sounds perfect" Minerva instantly agreed. She too was starting to feel really tired of Hogwarts. She really loved that school but after Albus's death she hadn't taken a single day off duty nor had she found a moment to go back to her home in Scotland.

"Ok , then. Shall we change into Muggle clothes and meet in front of the entrance in about thirty minutes?"

"Muggle clothes?" Minerva asked.

"Yeah. There's no way I'm going to set foot in Diagon Alley and you perfectly know that. Besides , it wouldn't be too good for the new Headmistress to be seen with her predecessor's murderer. People might come up with strange ideas about you."

"Severus" Minerva sighed " don't you think it's time to move on about this? The order, the ministry, the press … everybody was informed that you are not to be held responsible for Dumbledore's death. I granted for you in front of the entire Ministry, the Wizengamot , Rita Skeeter and Augusta Longbottom , who , if I'm allowed to say , was the worst one. A little bit more and I could have shown up at Voldemort's door protesting for your innocence"

"Indeed." Severus commented with an half amused half sarcastical expression on his face. "You might not have been aware of it but your solicity gained me a good amount of questions and suspicions among the death eaters. The Dark Lord himself was eager to know the detailed story of how I had been able to regain your trust and your support in such a short time"

Minerva bit her lip. She had never realized that her behavior might have put her friend in such a dangerous position. When Potter had told her what had happened on the top of the tower she had felt her heart breaking inside her chest. She had spent the following nights crying over Albus's death and Severus's betrayal . In those hours she had suddenly realized how attached she had become to Severus in almost 20 years of teaching together. She had come to confide in him , to rely on him, to turn to him every time she needed to take a break from all the school stress. She even liked arguing with him. Despite their arguments Severus was the closest friend she had ever had except for Albus. The pain of losing both of them had been almost unbearable.

And then Severus had come back, claiming to be innocent, and she had discovered a letter in her closet, a letter that confirmed that Severus's absurd story was indeed the truth.

Minerva had checked Albus's letter over and over. She had asked Pomona Pomefrey to perform a double medical check to make sure that she was not under the influence of any sort of dark magic. And when the school nurse had assured that there was nothing wrong with her she had felt her heart skip a beat. The room had started spinning. Her best friend was back; she wasn't lonely anymore. Of course she hadn't told him anything but she had made anything to make it sure that nobody , not one single person, could take him away again.

She had never thought that her passion in defending him must have looked suspicious to Voldemort and his followers.

"Minerva" Severus's voice brought her back to reality. "Minerva , for god's sake! Stop worrying! It's all right … I've managed to find a quite good excuse"

Minerva nodded : " I guess you told them you had used the Imperius curse or something like that"

Now it was Severus's time to bit his lip

"Well" he said "Not exactly"

"Not exactly?"

"I was thinking of using an excuse like that. But then something better came to my mind"

"So what have you told them?"

"That I've seduced you! Soften you up during these years and made you fall for me so that you would be my closest ally in claiming my innocence"

Minerva almost chocked on her saliva :"What?" she managed to spit out

"Now please… don't get angry…"

"Angry? Severus , it's brilliant. It makes perfectly sense." Minerva burst into laughter

Severus looked at her suspiciously : "Do you really think so?"

"Absolutely" Minerva assured him "An Imperius curse or a Confundus spell should have been detected by now, while love is undetectable. Also , love is a powerful mind – twister . It's easy to be deceived when you are in love with somebody"

"So you are not angry at me?" Severus asked again

Minerva folded her arms : "No. But I guess I get the right to choose where we go for lunch today"

Severus frowned : "Minerva, please! I don't want to go to Diagon Alley."

Minerva shook her head : " I wasn't thinking about Diagon Alley. I do think we could go to Muggle London"

Severus relaxed : "That's ok"

"But I still get to choose where" Minerva reminded him with a vicious smirk.


	12. cherry muffins and muggle lessons

The next morning Draco Malfoy woke up early. As he opened his eyes he spotted his mum soundly asleep on a chair beside his bed and realized that he must have had another nightmare. Trying not to disturb her, he climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower he got dressed and went downstairs. As his mother was still asleep he decided that he would have to buy his breakfast on the way to school. He grabbed his school bag from a chair nearby. He had no idea of what to expect from his first day of summer school so he decided that some rolls of parchment , a quill and his wand would do just fine. As he got out of the house he found a guy waiting for him outside.

"Hi" the boy greeted him " My name's Fred de Valpour . I guess you are Mr. Malfoy"

Draco nodded

"Eve asked me to get you to your first class safe and sound" Fred went on " I thought we could drop by at The Enchanted Cake … I haven't had breakfast yet ; what about you?"

Draco shook his head : " I just woke up" he explained

"Wonderful" commented Fred "So shall we get going then?"

As they hurried down the street toward the center of the village, Draco took a closer look at the houses in the neighborhood . They were very different from each other. Some of them resembled traditional Muggle cottages, others had stranger shapes and resembled balls , pyramids or even everyday objects and animals.

"There are no specific rules regarding buildings here in Woodwill" Fred explained "They tried to pass some acts on the subject a few years ago ; but in the end Lyla's view seemed to prevail. She thinks that everybody should be free to express his or her own creativity when it comes to place one lives in. She's quite an eccentric woman. But I like her"

Draco seemed to ponder the information for a couple of seconds : "So you're a friend of Eve?" he asked in the end changing the topic.

"Eve's boyfriend to be more precise" Fred corrected him "We've been together for almost four years now."

Draco nodded again. All of a sudden he felt a strange knot in his stomach. However he quickly got a grip on himself. If Eve had a boyfriend , all the best for her. He had never felt a need for relationships in his Hogwarts days.

"De Valpour" he asked after a moment of thinking "How comes that name rings a bell?"

Fred shrugged : "You are not into magical dancing are you?"

Draco shook his head

"Dark Arts?"

"Yes!" Draco exclaimed "Yes ! I knew it! The Valpour family is the family that invented…"

"Avada Kedavra" Fred completed the sentence in a casual tone " The killing curse"

Draco looked at him. He hated to admit it but he was quite impressed : "So does your family live here in Woodwill ?"

Fred shook his head : " My family is still in France. I fled them a few years ago"

"Why?"

Fred seem to reflect for a while : " Let's just say that we had different visions regarding the world and its ways . And I was kind of fed up with Beaubatonx"

Draco suppressed a laughter : "I've met Madame Maxime during the Triwizard Tournament. "

"Nightmarish , isn't she? So obsessed with elegance and grace. It was like going to a good manners school. And she's one of the worst sexist that I've ever known. She only cared for girls there. She seemed to consider them superior to boys. Stupid woman…. Oh here we are"

Draco looked up. They had stopped in front of a small café . Inside it was packed with old wooden tables and chattering students. Behind a large counter , a young man was busy preparing trays of pastries and croissants.

Fred gestured for Draco to follow him. They grabbed a couple of stools and sat in front of the counter.

"Fred" the bartender greeted him

"Hi Matteo. How're you doing?"

"Not bad. I've started practicing summoning spells the other day. They seem to work fine for now."

Fred smiled: "That sounds great. I was sure you would manage it. By the way" he said turning to Draco "… this is Draco Malfoy."

Matteo seemed to study him closely : "Draco Malfoy , uh? Narcissa's son ,right? Great woman your mum …. There's no doubt about it"

Draco blushed slightly : "Th…thank you" he muttered

"Can you bring us the usual?" Fred jumped in "We are running late for school"

Matteo nodded and turned around. After a moment he dropped two mugs of black coffee and a couple of Muffins in front of the boys. Draco grabbed his and gave it a bite . It was full of a ruby jam that tasted of cherry and vanilla and it was covered by a pink cream.

"Nice" Draco commented

"Definitely" Fred agreed "There's nobody like Matteo when it comes to sweets"

"Why is he learning magic at this age?" Draco asked

"He's actually re- learning it!" Fred explained "We found him at the edge of the wood three years ago. He had lost his memory and showed no sign of magic whatsoever. We thought he was a Muggle at first but last year he prevented an egg from smashing to the ground by levitating it. He's been studying magic since then."

Draco nodded : "So he doesn't remember anything about his past ?"

"Not one single detail. Not even his surname. To tell you the truth I can't really tell you if Matteo is his real name. He might as well have picked it up after he started living here. But we know for sure that he can speak Italian so we guessed that he must have come from somewhere around Italy"

"It makes sense" Draco muttered more to himself that to Fred "Anyway it's an intriguing story"

"You'll find plenty of these stories here in Woodwill" Fred assured him "Now come on. You don't want to be late for Edward Hampton's lesson"

They hurried out of the café and throughout all the village. After ten minutes or so they came to an halt in front of a huge building.

"Welcome to the Experimental Academy of Magical and Non Magical Arts" Fred said in a not too enthusiastic tone "or as we like to call it the Melt and Mash"

Draco look at the school. He was perplexed. Of course it was much smaller than Hogwarts and it definitely resembled to one of those modern Muggle schools he had occasionally seen during his trips to London.

"It's not the finest specimen of architecture you might find in the U. K" Fred commented "but it's not so bad. And the academic quality is definitely higher than in most places I've seen"

Draco nodded unconvincedly. Fred led him inside and through a series of corridors until they reached a small door.

"This is your class" Fred told him " See you later at potions"

"What?" Draco exclaimed "Aren't you coming?"

Fred shook his head : " I don't do Politics. I've got Maths now. Don't worry, it will be allright. I'll collect you when the lesson is over"

And with that he disappeared from Draco's sight.

The boy paused for a couple of minutes in front of the door. All of a sudden the situation seemed quite absurd. What the hell was he doing there? He should have been at home, resting for the holidays and not in some lost place , attending summer school and Muggle classes. He considered going back home but he immediately realized that it was not an option. His mother would probably have been disappointed by such He put a hand on the door knob and, after a deep breath, he finally pushed the door open and entered the classroom.

He had expected rows of desks. Instead, he found a group of students sitting in a semicircle around a girl , who , from the look of it , was giving a speech. A man was observing them from a corner of the room. As the girl finished speaking , he clapped his hands

"Wonderful, Sabrina. You clearly explained the principles underlying the UN convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman , Degrading Treatments for prisoners. Now shall we try and apply this to the Magical Law System here in the U…?" he stopped mid sentence , suddenly aware of Draco's presence

"Mr. Malfoy" he exclaimed "welcome to Politics! Eve told me you were coming today. "

Draco smiled weakly.

"Draco Malfoy" he went on turning to face the class " has just transferred here from Hogwarts. Because of his family and personal history he's a living expert of the political views and the hierarchical structure of the Death Eaters Movement and therefore he's very valuable to the discussion we have planned for the next week I would say"

Draco gulped. Every single person in the room was staring at him. Mr. Hampton however took no notice. He simply gestured for Draco to come where the girl named Sabrina had stood

"So Mr. Malfoy , would you do us the honor?"

"W… what ?" Draco stuttered " I don't… I mean … I've never… "

"Don't worry , Draco." Mr. Hampton hushed him down "Now just relax and tell us what you think about the Magical Law System ; would you define it as cruel or inhuman"

"Yes" Draco answered without hesitating. There was a murmur among the other students . He bit his lips but Mr. Hampton smiled encouragingly " I mean" he went on "Let's take Azkaban as an example. The prisoners there are exposed every day to the Dementors , which torture them , making them live the worst moments of their lives over and over again. They do not get to talk to each other or to see their families. Many of them go insane and stuff like that."

A dark- haired boy raised his hand in the air.

"Yes? Mr. Reinolds?" Mr. Hampton gave him the word

The boy stood up : " But aren't maximum security measures , as denying interpersonal contact, also adopted in Muggle prisons when it is considered necessary?"

"True" Mr. Hampton agreed "So according to you , Mr. Reinolds, the question is … are the prisoners in Azkaban such dangerous people to require these particular measures?"

Draco opened his mouth to protest but another girl shot her hand in the air

"Yes! Mrs. Fourrier"

" I personally disagree, Mr. Hampton. The Un Convention says that nobody , no matter what's his or her crime, should receive a cruel or degrading treatment. Even when extreme security measures are adopted , the prisoners wellbeing should be safeguarded. So , admitting that what Mr. Malfoy told us is true, the use of Dementors in the Magical carcerary system is a clear violation of the convention principles"

"That's right" Draco intervened " and then there's the Dementors' kiss. It leaves the condemned completely unable to look after themselves, it turns them into empty shells with no possibility of ever talking or doing anything again. It's just not fair"

"A good example, Mr. Malfoy" Mr. Hampton agreed "Mr. Reinolds , do you wish to counterbate on this?"

The dark haired boy shook his head : "I still would like to know from Mr. Malfoy weather , according to him, the prisoners in Azkaban require special measures"

Draco felt a strange sensation in his throat. He had the distinct impression that the boy deeply disliked him and was clearly trying to provoke him.

"Listen" he began , trying to keep calm. But Mr. Hampton interrupted him.

"I think that's enough! Thank you Mr. Malfoy! You gave us a precious contribution today. As for your curiosity , Mr. Reinolds , maybe for the next lesson you could do a little research about that. Shall we say three rolls of paper? Class dismissed!"

He quickly walked out of the door, followed by most of the student and a protesting Mr. Reinolds. Draco stood transfixed for a couple of seconds , until he felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He turned around to see Mrs. Fourrier standing next to him.

"Don't worry about Reinolds" she told him "He's a total idiot! Shall we go?"


End file.
